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SPAIN - VISIGOTHS - PSEUDO-IMPERIAL SERIES - AV Tremissis n.d. (ca. 540-580), Tarraco (?)
weight 1,16gr. ; gold Ø 19,5mm.
imitation of Justinianus I (527-565) tremissis
obv. Stylized bust facing right, cross on bust, surrounded by the legend;
HIVSTHI - ΛHVSPA
rev. Stylized Victory advancing right, holding wreath in right hand
and palmbranch on left shoulder, surrounded by the legend;
VICTOR - ΛΛVSTO
The Visigoths were the western tribe of the Goths (a Germanic people) who settled west of the Black Sea sometime in the 3rd century AD. According to the scholar Herwig Wolfram, the Roman writer Cassiodorus (c. 485-585 AD) coined the term Visigothi to mean ′Western Goths′ as he understood the term Ostrogothi to mean ′Eastern Goths′. Cassiodorus was simply trying to coin a name to differentiate the two extant tribes of the Gothic people in his time who clearly differed from each other; these tribes did not originally refer to themselves by these names. The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus (4th century AD) refers to the Visigoths as the Tervingi (also given as Thervingi), which may have been their original name. The designation Visigothi seems to have appealed to the Visigoths themselves, however, and in time they came to apply it to themselves.
The Visigoths would eventually settle in the region of modern-day Germany and Hungary until they were driven out by the invading Huns. Some Visigoths, under their general Fritigern (d. c. 380 AD) were granted land by the emperor Valens (r. 364-378 AD) in Roman territory. Their mistreatment at the hands of Roman provincial governors would lead to the First Gothic War and the pivotal Battle of Adrianople (378 AD) in which Rome was defeated by the Goths under Fritigern. The Visigoths would further impact Rome when their king Alaric I (r. 395-410 AD) sacked the city in 410 AD. After Alaric I, the Visigoths migrated to Spain where they established themselves and assimilated with the Romans and indigenous people living there. They established a powerful kingdom in Spain (Hispania). They ruled the Iberian Peninsula for centuries, converting from Arian to Nicene Catholicism, before their kingdom was conquered by the Moors (Umayyads) in 711 AD, paving the way for the Reconquista.
MEC - (cf. 202) ; Tomasini group JAN 5 RR
wonderful specimen with excellent details,
struck an exceptional broad flan. Very rare.
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SPAIN, KINGDOM - PHILIP III, 1598-1621 - 1 Escudo 1607 C, Segovia
weight 3,34gr. ; gold Ø 19mm.
mintmaster mark C (Melchior Rodriquez del Castillo)
With the scutcheon of Portugal.
obv. Crowned composite coat of arms deviding aqueduct / C - value I,
surrounded by the legend; PHILIP, - • III • D • G
rev. Cross of Jerusalem, within quatrefoil with leafs terminating inner corners,
four dots in outer fields, surrounded by the legend; • HISPANIARVM • REX • 1607
The first escudo was a gold coin introduced in 1535/1537.It succeeded the heavier gold excelente (or ducado, ducat; 3.1 g vs 3.48 g fine gold) as the standard Spanish gold coin. The double escudo (the doubloon) succeeded the doble excelente or double-ducat denomination.
This is a rare two-year-type coin and was among the first machine struck coins minted in Spain. The details on this piece are extremely strong / boldly struck and there′s still luster in the fields. Almost uncirculated.
cf. Künker 251, Lot 3184 in unc- (5.500 Euro + 20%)
Calicó 60 (old ed.); Calicó 1015 (new ed.) ;
Cayón 4964 ; KM.29 ; Friedberg 194 R
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SPAIN, KINGDOM - ISABEL II, 1833-1868 - 80 Reales 1844 B PS, Barcelona
weight 6,76gr. ; gold 875/1000 ; Ø 21mm.
variant: small head
obv. Head of Queen Isabella II facing right,
1844• below, surrounded by the legend;
ISABEL 2A. POR LA GRACIA DE DIOS Y LA CONST.,
translation; Isabella II by the grace of God and the Constitution
rev. Crowned coat of arms of Spain, dividing value 80 - Rs, with
Golden Fleece collar, .B. - P.S. below,surrounded by the legend;
REINA DE - LAS ESPAÑAS, translation; Queen of the Spains.
KM.A579 ; Calicó 711 ; Cayón 17330 ; Friedberg 324
very attractive lustrous specimen with excellent details
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SPAIN - BARCELONA - JOSEPH NAPOLEON, 1808-1813 - 20 Pesetas 1813
weight 6,71gr. ; gold 864/1000 ; Ø 22mm.
obv. Lozenge coat of arms of Barcelona, wreath around.
rev. 20 PESETAS with two crossed branches below within dotted circle,
• 1813 • below, surrounded by the legend; EN • BARCELONA •
Barcelona was occupied by French troops on 12 February 1808. The insurrection of May/June 1808 caused a monetary shortage and reinforced supply problems, which forced the city authorities to open a workshop, reviving at the same time Catalan national feeling. Production began on August 27 1808 and lasted until 30 May 1814. The gold 20 pesetas was minted in the years 1812, 1813 and 1814, with a total production of only 9,578 pieces. These coins were all the rarer because the Spanish, having particularly disliked the French methods of occupation, melted down all those they found in order to erase the memory of the horrors of war. The 1812 issue is the most common one, than 1813 and 1814 is extremely rare. Very rare.
KM.76 ; Calicó 5 ; Friedberg 23 RR
very attractive specimen
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SPAIN - CATALONIA, CITY OF LLEIDA - FERNANDO II OF ARAGON, 1475-1516 - Pugesa n.d. (circa 1480-1510)
weight 2,31gr. ; copper Ø 20mm.
obv. Branch with three lilys within diamond shaped rectangle in dotted circle.
In outer circle the legend; PVG.ESA:DEL:ЄDA
obv. Branch with three lilys within diamond shaped rectangle in dotted circle.
In outer circle the legend; PVG.ESA:DEL:ЄDA
The pugesa is an old local Catalan coin typical of the Lleida area, minted from the late 13th century to the 15th century in areas economically depressed or with very low price levels, which needed a smaller fraction. It was minted in copper and brass, and had a value of a quarter dinero. The best-known pugesa was that of the city of Lleida, always bearing the triple heraldic lily of the city on the front and back, and the legend "PUGESA DE LEIDA", with slight variations. Pugesas were also minted in towns close to Lérida, such as Àger, Agramunt, Almenar, Balaguer, Camarasa, Cubells, Fraga, Ponts and Vilanova de Meià. In the late 15th/early 16th century, the pugesa was replaced by other coin types and disappeared from circulation.
Cru.V.S.1451 ; Cru.L.1741 ; Cru.C.G.3753 ;
Calicó ed 1994, no.175 ; cf. Calicó Tipo 138, No.221
very attractive for the type
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